The Final Battle
by Darkstreak
Summary: Young Moonpaw was raised and experimented on by twolegs. Now that she and the other cats kept their have escaped to Nightclan, can Moonpaw fulfill her destiny, or will she lead the clans to their death?
1. Prologue

A white mist was drifting over the ground, the light from the moon above making it seem to glow. Rocks dotted the edge of the sandy path, them too glowing silver from the light of the sky. Five cats padded along the path, speaking quietly of herbs, their eyes glued to their destination. A large white tree loomed in front of them, sending streaks of moonlight towards them.

A light gray tom with dark flecks approached first, touching his nose gingerly to the white bark. His body trembled slightly, but soon he had drifted to sleep. A smaller, dark brown tom copied the gray toms actions, followed by a brown and ginger she-cat and a light gray she-cat. The last cat stood there, she felt unusually wary to speak with her ancestors. Despite her feelings, she approached the tree, touching her nose to the bark. She gasped at the coldness of it, yet still fell asleep.

She woke up in the vast fields of StarClan, there was usually cats everywhere, basking in the sun or chasing insects, but there were none to be seen. She jerked her head behind her when she heard the sound of pawsteps behind her. A large black she-cat with stars dancing across her pelt stood before Oneleg, her amber gaze was serious.

"Hello, Oneleg," The cat dipped her head in greeting. "I have something to show you," she turned away and began to leave.

Oneleg bounded after the mysterious cat, tripping occasionally because of her missing leg. They soon approached a small pool of water. The cat gestured with her tail for Oneleg to look. She stared at the water's reflection before her. It showed a fiery red moon so small it looked like a mere claw in the sky.

"_The day of bloodshed with come, and hope will be in the form of three, the battle will destroy all if they do not unite_." A variety of voices whispered around her, all different, but oddly all the same.

Suddenly Oneleg was plunged into darkness, the shapes around her melting into an inky blackness. She felt sudden fear coarse through her body and was soon running as her vision slowly returned. She felt power in her limbs, surprisingly she had four of them, as she ran alongside three other cats. One was a ginger she cat, another was a white tom with fresh wounds covering his flesh. The last was a tall brown tom, his face a mixture f grief and fear.

Suddenly a black figure snatched the white tom in it's mouth, shaking his now bloodied body violently. "Snowstar!" the remaining three cried out in unison, though Oneleg didn't know how she knew his name. She hesitated slightly, wondering if she should continue or stop to help the tom, though he was already limp in the creature's jaws.

"Come on Nightstar, we have to lead the rest to safty," Oneleg turned her head to see the ginger she-cat speaking to her, "he's gone now," she added sadly. Oneleg was confused, her name wasn't Nightstar! She glanced down at her pelt as her legs began to work again and gasped, her pelt was black.

She looked behind her to see cats racing after her, their faces a showing their fear and grief. Farther back, more dark figures were giving chase. Oneleg gave a small squeak of surprised and started sprinting faster.

The brown tom lifted his muzzle to the cats behind them and yowled, "We are nearing the forest, everyone who can climb, get as far up the trees as you can, for those who can't, hide in the thorniest bushes you can find and hope they don't find you." With that they all raced to the trees ahead.

Oneleg immediately shot up the nearest tree, only stopping when she had reached the last tall branches that would support her weight. The tree wobbled slightly as other cats climbed up also, but otherwise she was undisturbed where she hid. It felt like moons before the creatures were gone and it was safe to come out of hiding. The cats all gathered together in a nearby clearing, speaking in hushed tones and wearily glancing over their shoulder from time to time. Oneleg padded to the two cats from earlier listening as they spoke.

"What are we going to do, Treestar? We've lost our home and at least a Clan's worth of cats!" The ginger she-cat practically screeched.

"I don't know," The brown tom, apparently called Treestar, mumbled, "I still can't believe the one was hiding in the shadows, somehow getting Snowstar," he hung his head low.

"Why don't we make new clans, three instead of four? We could start all over, and make our clans stronger than before," Oneleg meowed, joining the conversation. She didn't know where she came up with the idea, but it sounded right.

"That sounds like a good plan, what do you think, Sandstar?" Treestar meowed in response, glancing at the ginger she-cat.

Yes, that sounds perfect. I will call my clan, SandClan," Sandstar meowed.

"And mine will be TreeClan," added Treestar.

"I shall name mine NightClan," Oneleg meowed, realizing this was the beginning of the clans. Suddenly the cats in the clearing melted into dark gray smoke, the starry black she-cat from before padded out.

This will be repeated if the prophecy is not fulfilled," the cat meowed before Oneleg awoke by the Moontree. The other medicine cats were already gone, so Oneleg sprinted as fast as a three legged cat could. As she approached her territory, she realized something was wrong. When she met a patrol, her suspicions were confirmed.

"Smokestar's missing!" cried out his mate when Oneleg had asked what was wrong.

Suddenly, Oneleg remembered her dream with StarClan, the smoke filled clearing. "I think I know where he is."


	2. Chapter 1

A black kitten with a white spot on her chest and paws wailed as she was violently grabbed by her scruff by a large Twoleg. She clawed desperately at the smooth ground that was beneath her as she was lifted off the ground. The Twoleg jerked her away from the ground and shut the metal box where she had been before. She glanced around at her surroundings and saw her sibling, a jet black tom, trembling on the top of another silver floor, one without walls.

She yowled as she was abruptly dropped onto the surface next to her brother. His eyes were wide with fear as the Twoleg grabbed one of it's many sharp objects and faced the two kits, narrowing it's eyes. She pressed her flank to him for comfort, mainly for him, but also for herself.

Suddenly the Twoleg grabbed her brother by the scruff, grumbling in it's Twoleg language. It then took the sharp end of the object it was holding and jabbed it into him. The kit watched as her brother let out a small wail and slowly fell asleep. The Twoleg dropped the tom and started to reach for it's sister. She attempted to run from his grasp, but the smooth surface under her paws caused her to slide about, making it easy for the Twoleg to grab her, and forcibly stab the tool into her. She soon nodded off.

As she awoke her skull felt as though it would explode and a new wound stretched across her belly. She sighed softly to herself and crept about her cramped cage. She glanced across the room to meet the gaze of her mother's littermate, a large white tom. His pelt was snarled and his eyes flickered with insanity. _Is this what I shall become like?_ He looked back at her and hissed, showing her his sharp teeth, and causing her to look away.

Suddenly a Twoleg burst into the room carrying a large sack and approached the metal box by the kit. She heard a thud as the animal inside the sack was dropped in the box . The Twoleg then stomped back to the swinging door it had come from. The sound of grunting from the box the cat was dropped into told the kit that her new neighbor was waking up. "Welcome," she mewed, hoping the cat was awake enough to hear her.

"Huh? W-Where am I?" came the groggy reply.

"I don't know what this place is..." the kit mewed uncertainly, she quickly glanced at a small gap in the boxes to see a muscular, gray tabby tom standing there, his fur fluffed out as he stared out past the iron bars that kept him confined. His steps were slowed by tiredness, but he was still alert, his ears pricked and his gaze shifting about the cage.

"Then who are you? _Where_ are you?" He meowed as he gazed around, his pelt bristling with fear.

"I am in the box beside you," she mewed, sticking her white paw through the gap to get his attention "and as for my name, I, uh, don't have one." As she spoke the last few words her blue gaze shifted to her paws, her mother had been taken away before she had been named.

"No name, huh? Well," he motioned his tail to the crescent white spot on her chest, "I think I'll call you Moonpaw, because of the moon shaped spot on your fur. I'm Smokestar by the way, leader of NightClan," His gaze suddenly grew more serious, "I must get back to my clan, is there anyway out of this place?"

"Well, the only way out of the boxes, is if the Twoleg comes in and puts a stick in this hole here," Moonpaw touched her paw to the hole in the metal cube that held the box closed. "Then there are the doors, which shall be easy, on the other side is the forest. But you can't escape during night, the doors wont budge then," she grimaced as she remembered how she obtained this fact. It was when a brave cat had managed to escape his cage, he had ran straight for the door, but it didn't open, he was knocked backwards, after a few more tries, he ran to hide. The Twolegs had found him between two of the silver boxes, and killed him, in front of the other cats.

Moonpaw's thoughts were soon interrupted when she saw Smokestar doing something with the metal cube. He smiled as he realized that his claw fit perfectly in the hole, he glanced over at Moonpaw who was watching him curiously, "I know how to get out, here's my plan," he then lowered his voice and filled her in on his crazy plan that, to Moonpaw, seemed like it just might work.


	3. Chapter 2

The next day a Twoleg came and opened the door, and signaled the start of their plan. After the Twoleg left the room, the two cats got to work and stuck their claws into the cube that kept them confined. Soon they both heard the clicks of the the cube releasing and falling to the ground. They then went to work, releasing the rest of the cats in the room and leading them to the doors. They made their way out the doors before the twoleg returned. They fled towards the woods, Smokestar leading the cats, leading them to their freedom.

Suddenly, right before they reached the forest, a Twoleg jumped in front of the cats, barking out commands in it's language. He reached out with one of his large paws and reached towards the cats. Smokestar hissed as he saw this and ran for the Twoleg, his tail lashing an his claws unsheathed, and dug into it's leg making it screech with pain. Most of the cats continued to the forest, yet few stayed to fight.

Moonpaw knew she should flee, but her instinct to fight led her to the twoleg. Her needle sharp claws immediately unsheathed as she dove for the back of his leg. Her front claws gripped the flesh,and her back ones slashed at him with no mercy. The Twoleg lowered his large paw and tried to pull her off, but Moonpaw only bit his paw with all her might until he ripped it from her jaws. He finally kicked out his leg and sent her and the other cats on that leg flying before he ran away from the angered cats, the others still gripping on let go as he ran off. She landed a few steps away, rolling slightly at the impact, but luckily not hitting anything. She glanced around and realized that one cat wasn't so lucky. Another cat had smashed against a rock as he landed, blood was flowing freely from his mouth, a mixture of his and the Twoleg's.

Moonpaw immediately ran to the injured gray tom, who was dazed, but, luckily, not unconscious. She helped him up and pressed her flank to his, trying to lead him to the safety of the trees. The tom was stumbling quite a bit, but they soon made it to the cover of the forest. Moonpaw continued to lead him until they reached a clearing where many other cats were located. She led him to a patch of soft grass and let him lay down. She had just padded to the shadows to stay out of the heat when a three of cats approached. These cats were different from the rest, they smelled of the trees.

Smokestar, who was sitting near the edge of the clearing, immediately bounded over to the cats and let a loud purr escape his throat. "Morningpaw, Suntail, Darkblossom! What are you guys doing here?" he purred happily.

"We came for you," mewed Suntail, a white tom with a yellow tail tip, "Morningpaw had a sign from StarClan telling us where you were." He glanced behind Smokestar to see the clearing filled with cats, his eyes widening. "Are we taking _all _of those cats back to the clan," he mewed, shocked.

"Only the ones who wish to come, we have more than enough room," replied Smokestar. Moonpaw watched as he then bounded up a large boulder nearby and yowled "All those able to catch their own prey, gather here for a meeting!" Large groups of cats warily gathered around the boulder, most staying just within hearing distance. When the cats had gathered, Smokestar raised his voice so it could be heard, "Now, many of you are most likely wondering where you will go now. You are all welcome to come to my clan, you will have safety and food to eat. Clan life might not suit all of you, so no one will blame you if you do not join us or if you choose to leave later. We will welcome all and teach the ways of the clan, if you wish to join us, tomorrow we shall leave for Nightclan." He then pounced off the rock and padded to the edge of the forest and gathered moss to sleep on.

Moonpaw suddenly realized how tired she was and curled up on the soft ground, and soon fell asleep, where she dreamed of cats that smelled of trees and of great forests that filled the horizon.

Moonpaw awoke to the loud yowling of the four clan cats filling the clearing. She glanced sleepily around, meeting the tired gazes of the other cats that filled the area. When all the cats had awoken the yowling died down and a loud voice called out "The ones that wish to go to the clans, follow me." Then the four clan cats padded out of the clearing, Smokestar at the front. Soon other cats began to follow, including Moonpaw, who was trembling with excitement at seeing the clan.

As they left the clearing, Moonpaw glanced behind her to see who all had followed. Most of the cats had stayed behind, only a few of them watching the others leave. Moonpaw wondered what they would do now as she quickened her pace to catch up. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar, jet black shape moving about the crowd. She immediately chased after it and tackled the cat. He struggled beneath her, but as she showed her face to him he immediately stopped and his eyes widened.

"S-sister?" he mewed, his eyes as wide as moons. "Is it really you?"

"Yes brother," Moonpaw purred stepping off of him. "It's me!" she exclaimed licking his face all over. He slowly returned the greeting, a loud purr rumbling in his throat to show his happiness.

"Come on," she mumbled as she glanced at the other cats that were quickly padding away, "we should catch up. Then I can tell you my name," she added with pride.

"You have a name now?" he meowed in disbelief as he started padding towards the others.

"Yup, it's Moonpaw," she purred with pride, "the leader of NightClan , Smokestar, gave it to me because of the moon shaped spot on my chest." She glanced over at her brother who was surprised of the news. "I think," she added, "that maybe you should have a name also. May I name you?"

"I couldn't think of any cat better to do it," he meowed, playfully bumping Moonpaw with his side.

"Well," She though deeply about this for a moment, a name was an important thing, "I think since Morningpaw was smaller, that she was not full grown, like me, Moonpaw. Meaning that not full grown cats must need a 'paw' at the end of their name, so I believe your name should be Blackpaw, because of your jet black pelt." she nodded, sure that this name was perfect for him.

"That is a wonderful name," Moonpaw jumped at the sound of Smokestar beside her, "I couldn't have chosen a better one myself," he meowed approvingly. "You're right by the way, cats that are not full grown are called 'apprentices' at the age of six moons they are then trained by warriors, the hunters and fighters of the clan. The receive the name 'paw' when the are called to the duty of becoming an apprentice, to learn and try their best so they may earn their warrior name and some day have the honer to protect the life of the clan. This is some thing you two will be experiencing soon, we will make it to the clan by sunset, we're not far off." He then sped up and took his rightful place at the head of the group.

"Wow," Blackpaw muttered glancing at Moonpaw, "I can't wait to get to the clans, it all sounds so wonderful." He quickened his pace slightly, "Thank you for the name," he purred puffing out his chest with pride, "no longer shall I be nameless."

Moonpaw nodded, "Now, let's catch up, and I hope they have something to eat there, I'm starving," as if to prove her point her stomach growled fiercely.

Blackpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement, "Come on," he purred playfully, "we wouldn't want you to collapse."

Moonpaw's eyes lit up in amusement as she pretended to collapse in the dirt. "Oh no!" she cried out, "too late! Go on without me!" she cried out, a loud purr still deep in her throat. She soon stood up and continued walking, "What do you think the clans will be like?" she wondered.

"I think it will be huge with trees everywhere," Blackpaw meowed excitedly. He gazed into the horizon, as though he could see it already.

A while later Moonpaw could smell the scent of multiple cats around her. "We must be close," she whispered to Blackpaw, who was eagerly sniffing the air.

Soon, they came to a large, dense forest that had very little light, the scent of forest cats surrounded them as they went farther into the woods. Moonpaw gazed towards the distance to see a large rocky object. They soon approached it, the clan cats took the lead and lead them to a hidden path up the rock. She carefully made her way up, cringing every time she heard the sound of rock falling below, imagining it was a cat.

When they had reached the top of the rock, Moonpaw could see a larger path leading down, worn by the paws of many cats. She gazed down to see a large dip in the rock, most likely where the clan cats live. "Time to go to our new life," she murmured to Blackpaw as they padded down the steep path.


End file.
